The Benicia Unified School District announced its guidelines for free or reduced meal programs under the National School Lunch/Breakfast Programs for the 2018-19 school year.

According to a news release, BUSD’s Food and Nutrition Department offers lunch services at Matthew Turner Elementary School, breakfast and lunch services at Mary Farmar Elementary, Joe Henderson Elementary, Robert Semple Elementary, Benicia Middle School and Liberty High School, and breakfast, lunch and nutritional snack break services at Benicia High School. The cost of breakfast is $2 and the cost of milk is 50 cents for all grades, and the cost of lunch is $3 for elementary schoolers and $3.50 for middle and high schoolers.

In the 2018-19 school year, students will be eligible for free or reduced-price meals if the household income is less than or equal to the federal guidelines laid out in the National School Lunch Program which was established in 1946 under the National School Lunch Act. The eligibility for such programs is determined by a family’s income as well as the number of family members living in their house. For example, a student in a household size of five family members can qualify for a reduced breakfast of 30 cents and a reduced lunch of 40 cents if their household makes roughly $54,427 annually, $4,536 monthly, $2,268 twice per month, $2,094 every two weeks or $1,047 weekly. A student from a family of five can also qualify for free meals if their family makes $38,246 annually or $3,188 monthly. For a complete list of eligibility guidelines, go to https://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/fr-050818.

Households do not need to submit an application when families receive a letter saying that all children automatically qualify for free meals if any household member receives benefits from CalFresh, CalWORKs or the Federal Distribution Program on Indian Reservations. According to Tania Courtney, BUSD’s Food Services director, children who meet the definition of foster, homeless, migrant or runaway children or those enrolled in their school’s Head Start program are eligible for free meals. If families do not want to receive free or reduced-price meals should notify their school officials.

Applications and letters about the meal program will be sent to households. Parents who want to apply for meal benefits should fill out one application for all children, which can be dropped off at the nutrition office, located in the District Office building at 350 East K St. They can also be filled out online at heartlandapps.com. The applications may be turned in at any time during the school year. For more information, contact Courtney at 748-2758.

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